Ezetimibe blocks the internalization of NPC1L1 and cholesterol in mouse small intestine

The multiple transmembrane protein Niemann-Pick C1 like1 (NPC1L1) is essential for intestinal cholesterol absorption. Ezetimibe binds to NPC1L1 and is a clinically used cholesterol absorption inhibitor. Recent studies in cultured cells have shown that NPC1L1 mediates cholesterol uptake through vesicular endocytosis that can be blocked by ezetimibe. However, how NPC1L1 and ezetimibe work in the small intestine is unknown. In this study, we found that NPC1L1 distributed in enterocytes of villi and transit-amplifying cells of crypts. Acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2), another important protein for cholesterol absorption by providing cholesteryl esters to chylomicrons, was mainly presented in the apical cytoplasm of enterocytes. NPC1L1 and ACAT2 were highly expressed in jejunum and ileum. ACAT1 presented in the Paneth cells of crypts and mesenchymal cells of villi. In the absence of cholesterol, NPC1L1 was localized on the brush border of enterocytes. Dietary cholesterol induced the internalization of NPC1L1 to the subapical layer beneath the brush border and became partially colocalized with the endosome marker Rab11. Ezetimibe blocked the internalization of NPC1L1 and cholesterol and caused their retention in the plasma membrane. This study demonstrates that NPC1L1 mediates cholesterol entering enterocytes through vesicular endocytosis and that ezetimibe blocks this step in vivo.     

Niemann–Pick C1-Like 1 and cholesterol uptake

Niemann–Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) is a polytopic transmembrane protein responsible for dietary cholesterol and biliary cholesterol absorption. Consistent with its functions, NPC1L1 distributes on the brush border membrane of enterocytes and the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes in humans. As the molecular target of ezetimibe, a hypocholesterolemic drug, its physiological and pathological significance has been recognized and intensively studied for years. Recently, plenty of new findings reveal the molecular mechanism of NPC1L1's role in cholesterol uptake, which may provide new insights on our understanding of cholesterol absorption. In this review, we summarized recent progress in these studies and proposed a working model, hoping to provide new perspectives on the regulation of cholesterol transport and metabolism.     

Requirement of Myosin Vb��Rab11a��Rab11-FIP2 Complex in Cholesterol-regulated Translocation of NPC1L1 to the Cell Surface

Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) plays a critical role in the enterohepatic absorption of free cholesterol. Cellular cholesterol depletion induces the transport of NPC1L1 from the endocytic recycling compartment to the plasma membrane (PM), and cholesterol replenishment causes the internalization of NPC1L1 together with cholesterol via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Although NPC1L1 has been characterized, the other proteins involved in cholesterol absorption and the endocytic recycling of NPC1L1 are largely unknown. Most of the vesicular trafficking events are dependent on the cytoskeleton and motor proteins. Here, we investigated the roles of the microfilament and microfilament-associated triple complex composed of myosin Vb, Rab11a, and Rab11-FIP2 in the transport of NPC1L1 from the endocytic recycling compartment to the PM. Interfering with the dynamics of the microfilament by pharmacological treatment delayed the transport of NPC1L1 to the cell surface. Meanwhile, inactivation of any component of the myosin Vb·Rab11a·Rab11-FIP2 triple complex inhibited the export of NPC1L1. Expression of the dominant-negative mutants of myosin Vb, Rab11a, or Rab11-FIP2 decreased the cellular cholesterol uptake by blocking the transport of NPC1L1 to the PM. These results suggest that the efficient transport of NPC1L1 to the PM is dependent on the microfilament-associated myosin Vb·Rab11a·Rab11-FIP2 triple complex.Cholesterol homeostasis in human bodies is maintained through regulated cholesterol synthesis, absorption, and excretion. Intestinal cholesterol absorption is one of the major pathways to maintain cholesterol balance. NPC1L1 (Niemann-Pick C1-like protein 1), a polytopic transmembrane protein highly expressed in the intestine and liver, is required for dietary cholesterol uptake and biliary cholesterol reabsorption (1–4). Genetic or pharmaceutical inactivation of NPC1L1 significantly inhibits cholesterol absorption and confers the resistance to diet-induced hypercholesterolemia (1, 2, 4). Ezetimibe, an NPC1L1-specific inhibitor, is currently used to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases (5).Human NPC1L1 contains 1,332 residues with 13 transmembrane domains (6). The third to seventh transmembrane helices constitute a conserved sterol-sensing domain (4, 7). NPC1L1 recycles between the endocytic recycling compartment (ERC)³ and the plasma membrane (PM) in response to the changes of cholesterol level (8). ERC is a part of early endosomes that is involved in the recycling of many transmembrane proteins. It is also reported that ERC is a pool for free cholesterol storage (9). When cellular cholesterol concentration is low, NPC1L1 moves from the ERC to the PM (8, 10). Under cholesterol-replenishing conditions, NPC1L1 and cholesterol are internalized together and transported to the ERC (8). Disruption of microfilament, depletion of the clathrin·AP2 complex, or ezetimibe treatment can impede the endocytosis of NPC1L1, thereby decreasing cholesterol internalization (8, 10, 11).The microfilament (MF) system, part of the cytoskeleton network, is required for multiple cellular functions such as cell shape maintenance, cell motility, mitosis, protein secretion, and endocytosis (12, 13). The major players in the microfilament system are actin fibers and motor proteins (14). Actin fibers form a network that serves as the tracks for vesicular transport (15, 16). Meanwhile, the dynamic assembly and disassembly of actin fibers and the motor proteins provides the driving force for a multitude of membrane dynamics including endocytosis, exocytosis, and vesicular trafficking between compartments (15, 16).Myosins are a large family of motor proteins that are responsible for actin-based mobility (14). Class V myosins (17, 18), comprising myosin Va, Vb, and Vc, are involved in a wide range of vesicular trafficking events in different mammalian tissues. Myosin Va is expressed mainly in neuronal tissues (19, 20), whereas myosins Vb and Vc are universally expressed with enrichment in epithelial cells (21, 22). Class V myosins are recruited to their targeting vesicles by small GTPase proteins (Rab) (23). Rab11a and Rab11 family-interacting protein 2 (Rab11-FIP2) facilitate the binding of myosin Vb to the cargo proteins of endocytic recycling vesicles (24–28).Myosin Vb binds Rab11a and Rab11-FIP2 through the C-terminal tail (CT) domain. The triple complex of myosin Vb, Rab11a, and Rab11-FIP2 is critical for endocytic vesicular transport and the recycling of many proteins including transferrin receptor (29), AMPA receptors (30), CFTR (28), GLUT4 (31, 32), aquaporin-2 (26), and β2-adrenergic receptors (33). The myosin Vb-CT domain (24) competes for binding to Rab11a and Rab11-FIP2 and functions as a dominant-negative form. Expression of the CT domain substantially impairs the transport of vesicles. Deficient endocytic trafficking is also observed in cells expressing the GDP-locked form of Rab11a (S25N) (34) or a truncated Rab11-FIP2, which competes for the rab11a binding (35).Here we investigated the roles of actin fibers and motor proteins in the cholesterol-regulated endocytic recycling of NPC1L1. Using pharmaceutical inactivation, dominant-negative forms, and an siRNA technique, we demonstrated that actin fibers and myosin Vb·Rab11a·Rab11-FIP2 triple complex are involved in the export of NPC1L1 to the PM and that this intact MF-associated triple complex is required for efficient cholesterol uptake. Characterization of the molecules involved in the recycling of NPC1L1 may shed new light upon the mechanism of cholesterol absorption.     

乌金猪FTO基因的克隆和表达分析

目的:克隆乌金猪脂肪和肥胖相关基因(FTO)编码区序列(CDS),分析其序列组成特征及在乌金猪不同组织中的表达情况。方法:采用反转录PCR方法从乌金猪脂肪组织中克隆FTO基因CDS,利用生物信息学方法分析其序列组成特征;采用实时PCR方法分析乌金猪FTO基因mRNA在不同组织中的表达情况。结果:克隆的FTO基因全长1518 bp(已提交至GenBank数据库,登录号为JQ031263),编码由505个氨基酸残基构成的蛋白,推测的相对分子质量为58.16×103,等电点为5.18;乌金猪与牛、羊、人和大鼠的FTO蛋白的氨基酸序列同源性分别为91%、90%、89%和83%;进化树分析显示,推测的乌金猪FTO蛋白的氨基酸组成与牛、羊的亲缘性较近,其次是人、大鼠;推测的氨基酸组成中无跨膜区,无信号肽,为亲水蛋白;分析发现该蛋白有22个磷酸化修饰位点,包括10个丝氨酸蛋白激酶磷酸化位点、7个苏氨酸蛋白激酶磷酸化位点、5个酪氨酸蛋白激酶磷酸化位点,200、246、302位氨基酸残基有糖基化位点;二级结构预测发现该蛋白共有201个螺旋、33个伸展链和271个卷曲结构;实时PCR检测的组织表达谱表明,FTO基因mRNA在乌金猪肝脏组织中的表达量最高,在脂肪、肾、脾中也有大量表达,在心脏、肌肉中的表达量最少。结论:为深入探讨乌金猪FTO基因的生物学功能奠定了重要基础。     

一种简单有效的克隆未知旁侧DNA片段的方法

操作含长插入片段的DNA克隆时 ,经常需要进行亚克隆和测序实验。通常的方法首先是得到插入片段的限制性内切酶谱 ,然后选择合适的内切酶消化DNA ,分离靶片段 ,将其连接入质粒载体中进行下一步操作。但这种方法工作量大 ,步骤繁琐。在此 ,介绍一种不需要做限制性内切酶谱分析 ,而根据靶片段的旁侧序列直接进行亚克隆实验的方法。首先 ,选择合适的限制性内切酶消化含长插入片段的DNA克隆 ,其中一种酶切在已知的旁侧序列上 ,另一为随机选择 ;然后酶切混合物与线性化的质粒载体连接 ,转化细菌得到一“亚克隆库” ;将其中的克隆挑选入 96孔板培养后 ,按行或列混合菌液得到相应的“pool” ;最后 ,用PCR方法筛选获得含靶DNA片段的阳性克隆 ,其中所用的引物一个与已知的旁侧DNA序列配对 ,另一个与质粒载体上序列配对 ,PCR扩增已知的旁侧DNA片段以鉴定阳性克隆。多次独立实验表明该方法简单有效 ,可广泛用于亚克隆和DNA步移实验     

Licochalcone A Attenuates Chronic Neuropathic Pain in Rats by Inhibiting Microglia Activation and Inflammation

Neurochemical Research - Immune response plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. Immune response-targeted therapy becomes an effective strategy for treating neuropathic pain....     

低氧预适应小鼠皮层Bcl-2和Caspase-3的表达变化

本文旨在探讨小鼠皮层Bcl-2和Caspase-3在低氧预适应脑保护中的作用.将Bib/c近交系小鼠随机分为对照组、低氧组和低氧预适应组,用免疫荧光和激光共聚焦显微镜等技术测定皮层顶叶Bcl-2和Caspase-3表达荧光强度和阳性细胞计数.结果显示,低氧组和低氧预适应组Bcl-2表达均显著高于对照组,低氧预适应组又显著高于低氧组.低氧组和低氧预适应组Caspase-3表达均显著高于对照组,但低氧预适应组显著低于低氧组.结果表明,低氧预适应过程中,小鼠皮层脑区通过Bcl-2高表达和Caspase-3低表达抵御皮层细胞凋亡,从而参与脑保护机制.     

依据乳蛋白基因序列构建反刍动物种系发生树的研究

依据牛的４种乳蛋白（α－乳清蛋白、β－乳球蛋白、β－和К－酪蛋白）基因已知序列设计引物,用ＰＣＲ的方法扩培并生测定了牦牛α－乳清蛋白全序列（２９９９ｂｐ）,水牛的α－乳清蛋白基因全序列（２７８４ｂｐ）,东北马６鹿的α－乳清蛋白基因部分序列（１５８２ｂｐ）,β－酪蛋白基因的５’侧翼序列（９８７ｂｐ）和第４￣第９外显子区序列（１０９０ｂｐ）、β－乳球蛋白５’侧翼序列（２１６７ｂｐ）,３’端侧翼序列（１     

秀丽高原鳅种群生存力分析及最小可存活种群数估算

秀丽高原鳅(Triplophysa venusta)系金沙江的土著种, 是云南省重要保护鱼类; 由于其栖息水域建设水电站, 加之云南连年干旱, 导致其种群数量锐减。采用漩涡模型对不同生境下的秀丽高原鳅种群生存力进行了模拟分析, 并估算了其最小可存活种群数。结果表明: 灾害是影响种群长期存活的关键因子, 种群繁殖率和性未成熟个体死亡率对种群生存力影响较大, 而种群的环境容纳量大小则无显著影响; 若连续进行40年的成鱼捕获(2000尾/年), 可使种群在100年内的灭绝概率增至100%, 而若连续进行20年的人工增殖放流(1000尾1龄鱼/年), 可使100年内的灭绝概率降至35.8%。通过模拟计算, 使种群在当前生境下以95%的概率存活100年所需的最小种群数为16000尾。由此可见, 减少灾害发生频率、降低性未成熟个体死亡率、增加繁殖率以及进行人工增殖放流是秀丽高原鳅种群保护与恢复的有效措施。研究为秀丽高原鳅种群保护、渔政管理与人工增殖放流提供了理论依据。